Vehicle service-indicator.



J-. P. BYRNES.

VEHICLE SERVICE INDICATOR.

I APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1911.

Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. BYRNES, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 0F FORTY-FIVEONE- HUNDRED'IHS TO ROBERT COLEMAN AND TEN ONE-HUNDREDTHS T0 F. M.MQAULIFFE, BOTH OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

VEHICLE SERVICE-INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 23, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, JOHN F. Brnnns, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and in the county of San Franclsco and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in VehicleService-Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for the indication of the occupancyof a vehicle for The object of the present invention is to devise andprovide a system or mechanism whereby the owners of vehicles for hirecan be protected against fraud by their employees, the inventioncomprising a combination of elements cooperative with parts of thevehicle, such as an automobile, so as to positively make necessary theregistration or actuation of a recording or timing device usuallyattached to vehicles of this type for hire.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and combinationof parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, havingreference to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is aperspective view of the apparatus with the vehicle elements and partsshown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a detail showing in horizontal sectiona part ofthe car and the door thereof and showingmeans for actuating thelatch bolt. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the'door and the.operating means showing a fragment of the side of the door. Fig. 4 is asimilar view showing the door in its open position.

It is .a desideratum to combine with a vehicle for hire, such as ataxicab or automobile, a mechanism renderingthe letting of the car byits chauffeur or driver impossible without registering or indicating. Tothat end I have shown a combinationof mechanical elements, certain ofwhich are disposed with relation to the seats 2 of a vehicle, so thatwhen the seat is occupied, it will positively actuate asemaphore'orother registering device of suitable character, as 3,without the aid of the attendant of the car or vehicle.

In the present instance the seats 2 are shown as yieldably supportedupon springs 4; the seats being hinged, as at 5, to a convenient part ofthe vehicle frame, and when the occupant takes a seat, the latter willbe sufficiently depressed .to actuate a crank or lever 6, which isconnected to its respective seat by a link 7. The crank 6 is fulcrumedupon a suitable support 8, and to one arm of the crank there isconnected an appropriate link 9 reaching downwardly and forwardlybeneath the body of the car, and having connected to its other end anarm 10 of a lever fulcrumed on the transverse rod or rocker shaft 11mounted in a propriate hearings in the body of the ve icle. An upwardlyextending arm 12 of the lever 10 is connected by a link 13 to an arm 14,which is connected to a rocker shaft 15 controlling the mechanism in theindicating or timing device 3.

Usually taxicabs and other vehicles for hire are provided with a timingor registering device and a semaphore, and the driver of the vehicle isinstructed to turn a releasing lever, as 14, forming a part of theregistering device 3, so as to permit the operating of the timingmechanism. If the vehicle driver be inclined toward dishonesty, he mayomit to release the timing mechanism for operation when taking up apassenger, and can thereby retain the proceeds of the use of the vehiclederived from the passenger without turning an accounting into theproprietor of the vehicle. 1

It is one of the important purposes of i this invention to insureprotection of the proprietor and obtain an accounting of the use of thevehicle, by so connectingthe registering device,'as 3, that when'apassenger seats himself on one of the seats 2, the latter, through meansof the connections hereinbefore described, will automatically releasethe timing mechanism for operation, thereby positively preventing fraudon the part of the chaufi'eur or driver.

The several seats of the vehicle are each respectively connected byappropriate links and levers to rock the rocker shaft 11 whenever anyone of the seats is occupied, so that it is immaterial which of theseats a passenger may take.

Another important feature of the present device is the provision ofmeanswhereby the vehicle door 16, of which there is one usually on each side,is normally locked. or designed to be locked so long as the registeringdevice 3 is in inoperative oridle position. In this instance, the door16 is designed to be engaged by a sliding bolt 17 movable in the jamb 18of the body, and the bolt is shown as connected to a lever 10, therebybeing withdrawn to release or unlock the door 16 whenever the rockershaft 11 is moved; thus, the door 16 will be unbolted either by theoperation of the shaft 15 of the timing device 3 by the operator, or thedoor will be released when the passenger assumes a position on one ofthe seats 2 of the vehicle, since this latter is positively connected toand rocks the shaft 11. Thus, it will be seen that in order for thechauffeur to admit a passenger to the vehicle, he must first unbolt adoor 16, which can only be done by rocking the timing device shaft 15,or in some manner depressing one of the seats 2. In either event, thereleaseof the timing device 3 will automatically record, so that theproprietor may read the record and obtain an accounting of the use ofthe vehicle.

For the purpose of preventing the chauffour from leaving the door 16ajar, and thus attempting to cheat the proprietor, there is provided adetent 19 movable up.- wardly against a lug 20 on the lower side of thebolt 17; the detent 19 being connected to a lever or suitable device 21by a link 22 and lever 23 to the door 16. The lever, 23, is fulcrumed at24 and has jointed to its upper end the curved arm, 23', which armextends through an opening in a wall of the vehicle casing to theoutside of the casing, at which point the arm is reversely curved so asto bear against the outside of the door adjacent the hinged end wherebyduring the opening movement of the door about its hinges, a forwardmovement is given the joint between the curved arm, 23, and the upperend of the lever, 23, and this forces the lever, which is on the insideof the vehicle forwardly transmitting its motion through the link, 22,which link passes through the floor of the vehicle and connects with thebell crank, 21. The object of the construction just specified is thatthe door cannot be opened while the bolt 17 is in locking position forthe reason that the projection 20 of the bolt is immediately in positionabove the detent 19 and this is so connected to the door that it isdesigned to rise as the door is opened. If the bolt 17 be unretracted,the detent 19 cannot rise, nor can the door 16 be opened. As soon as theoperator manipulates the lever 14 to which the semaphore may beconnected, the link 13 will rock the rocker shaft 11 to retract the bolt17, releasing the door and permitting the latter to be swung open aboutits hinges.

As the door is opened to admit a passenger, its peculiarly connectedlever 23 will rock about a fulcrum 2i and push the link 22, thus liftingthe detent 19 so that its upper end is projected in front of the spur orlug 20 on the lower edge of the bolt 17. Now, so long as the door ispartly or en tirely open,.the detent 19 will interrupt the projection ofthe bolt 17 forwardly; this projection being accomplished simultaneouslyby the upward movement of the indicator arm 14:, so-that if thedishonest chauffeur should attempt to place a passenger in the vehicle,after having momentarily turned the semaphore lever 14 downward topermit the opening of the door, and then try to raise the semaphore arm14 while the door is standing open, the interposition of the stop member19 would effectually prevent the upward movement of the semaphore arm14, by reason of its engagement limiting the movement of the spur 20 andbolt 17.

Manifestly the mechanical details of the present invention may be variedto permit the application of the invention to vehicles of various types,so long as the function of the invention, to prevent the use of the carwithout a proper record thereof, will be permitted, and it is understoodthat any suitable form of indicating, registering or timing device 3 maybe employed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. An apparatus for the indication of the letting ofvehicles, said apparatus comprising a suitable timing and indicatingdevice, means controlled by the seating of a passenger to actuate saiddevice, and means controlled by the door of the vehicle to interruptamov'ement of said device.

2. An apparatus for the indication of the letting of vehicles, saidapparatus comprising a suitable timing and indicating device, meansconnected to and operable by the seats of the vehicle to actuate saiddevice, and connections between the door of the vehicle and saidapparatus to interrupt [a movement of the latter.

3. The combination with a vehicle having seats-for the reception ofpassengers, of a suitable registering device, connections between saiddevice and the door of the vehicle for interrupting a movement of saiddevice, and means connected to the sides of the vehicle and to saidconnections for actuating said device.

4. The combination with a vehicle having seats for the reception ofpassengers, of a suitable registering device, connections between saiddevice and the door of the vehicle, and means connected to said seatsfor controlling said device, said connections comprising a boltengageable at one end with said levers to the aforesaid device, andlinks and levers actuated by one of the seats and moving said firstnamed lever.

seats for the reception of passengers, of 'a. In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto set suitable registering device, connections be-' myhandin the presence oftwo subscribing 10 tween said device and the doorof the vewitnesses.

7 hide, and means connected to said seats for JOHN F BYRNES controllingsaid device, said connections com prising abolt en'gageable at one endwith Witnesses:

the edge of the door and'connected to the 7 DAN OGALLAGHAN, first namedlever. t EDWARD GLMCSHANE.

